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FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Wallet-friendly welcome to the world of superheroes
L ike a Record Store Day aimed at those who’ve never visited a comic shop, or at least haven’t been in one since their youth, this year’s Free Comic Book Day is upon us again on the first Saturday in May – and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the incentive is.
FCBD has been happening since 2002, and it’s increased in popularity as comic shops have begun to rise from the doldrums the 1990s’ industry crash left them in. ‘Things were stagnating a little bit a few years ago, there weren’t so many younger folk coming in,’ says Chris Dugan of Forbidden Planet in Edinburgh, ‘but it’s a lot better now with films like Avengers and Captain America out. We’ve been getting a lot of new custom since then, and Free Comic Book Day is important because it lets our regulars try new comics without having to spend anything.’
He says that a lot of the fifteen to twenty special FCBD anthologies issued simply
reprint already-published material and aren’t necessarily collectable, but the most prized are the ones which preview new stories. ‘The Marvel one last year was pretty cool, it previewed their year’s big event,’ he says. ‘Dark Horse had a Hellboy story and a preview of the new Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance) comic, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. You get a lot of good ones from independent publishers like Fantagraphics too.’ Casual browsers shouldn’t hang about, though. ‘It gets very busy, I’d say if people want to get the comics they should come early. It’s the one day of the year we have a queue outside when we open.’ (David Pollock) At comic shops across Scotland including Forbidden Planet, Edinburgh; Forbidden Planet, Glasgow; A1 Comics Braehead, Glasgow; all Sat 3 May. freecomicbookday.com
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HITLIST THE BEST BOOKS, COMICS & EVENTS
✽ World Book Night Join List favourites Jenni Fagan (pictured) and John Burnside for a worldwide celebration of books, including readings from their work and plenty of lit-chat. Blackwells, Edinburgh, Wed 23 Apr.
✽ Laydeez Do Comics Superheroes are all well and good, but the world of comics is so much bigger than buff bodies in spandex. Tonight the laydeez discuss the everyday and domestic in comic narrative and art. Pearce Institute, Glasgow, Mon 12 May.
✽ The Golden Hare Literary Salon We love books, but we love whisky too.
Luckily, the Golden Hare has got both of these covered. The Golden Hare, Edinburgh, Fri 18 Apr.
✽ Neu! Reekie! Folktronica,
performance poetry, and cultural shenanigans galore. Summerhall, Edinburgh, Fri 25 Apr.
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✽ Richard Wiseman Let the aptly named
Wiseman teach you how to tell the difference between helping yourself and getting stuck in a self-help myth. Central Library, Edinburgh, Wed 23 Apr.
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✽ Nuala Ní Chonchúir: The Closet of Savage Memories Nuala’s beautiful
writing is not to be missed – particularly in her new novel about a girl from Dublin who takes a summer job in the Scottish Highlands. CCA, Glasgow, Tue 29 Apr.
17 Apr–15 May 2014 THE LIST 41